SNL 10/28/06 - (H) Hugh Laurie (M) Beck
10-29-06, 01:19 AM
#51
Senior Member
Beck has been touring with the puppets. They are onstage in their diarama and mimic everything Beck and his band do, and then video of the puppets is projected on the huge screen behind them. Watching the puppets is often more mesmerizing than watching Beck!
The concept didn't work as well on SNL because you only got a few glimpses of them.
The concept didn't work as well on SNL because you only got a few glimpses of them.
10-29-06, 01:24 AM
#52
DVD Talk Hero
I thought the directing was pretty bad in terms of camera angles in some skits, most notably the Queen/Hotel one where they kept staying on the wide shot when Hugh would be saying his lines when it looked like it was intended to use the single cam on Hugh while he read off the cue cards. The wide shot made it totally obvious he was reading cue cards, while the other camera angle made it less distractingly so. \
10-29-06, 08:23 AM
#53
DVD Talk Platinum Edition
I guess I'm in the minority here; I like Beck, but thought both performances and songs were pretty bad. The novelty percussion of the second song wasn't nearly enough to make it a good song. I did think the puppets were cute, though.
10-29-06, 09:45 AM
#54
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Originally Posted by Red Dog
I think I need to buy a gun - to shoot myself.
Unfortunately, I didn't follow through. That was simply awful.
I know I'm getting old - just out of the pop culture loop. I hadn't heard of this Borat guy before yesterday. Then all of the sudden - bam - he was featured in this month's Maxim and FHM which I perused yesterday and then SNL. Who is this guy and where did he come from?
10-29-06, 10:03 AM
#56
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Originally Posted by Red Dog
Unfortunately, I didn't follow through. That was simply awful.
I know I'm getting old - just out of the pop culture loop. I hadn't heard of this Borat guy before yesterday. Then all of the sudden - bam - he was featured in this month's Maxim and FHM which I perused yesterday and then SNL. Who is this guy and where did he come from?
I know I'm getting old - just out of the pop culture loop. I hadn't heard of this Borat guy before yesterday. Then all of the sudden - bam - he was featured in this month's Maxim and FHM which I perused yesterday and then SNL. Who is this guy and where did he come from?
10-29-06, 11:44 AM
#59
DVD Talk Hero
Cold Open: Borat: Due to NBC budget cuts, Lorne has sold the cold open to the Kazakhstan Ministry of Information for a tourism ad from Borat. While Borat is typically much funnier than this, it was still the best cold open in years. 
Monologue: Embarrassing canned applause yet again. Where's Ashlee Simpson? Laurie runs through a list of positive imagery to indicate that he's not like the curmudgeonly misanthropic House: daffodils, morning dew, the yelp of a puppie freed from the microwave.
He's incredibly comfortable on stage, and at times I wonder if he didn't write the material himself. Not every joke works, but it's a really good start.
Most Haunted: Obnoxious and clueless ghost hunters (Hader, Poehler, and Armisen) investigate a strange sound they hear in an old castle: passed gas from their leader Derek (Laurie). Between the beady night-vision eyes and goofy British accents, they almost sell this bit, which is just an extended fart joke.
TV Funhouse: Why is it that when these were funny they were burried deep within the show, but now they're right up front? Bush shows a new batch of Republican attack adds with a Halloween theme. Not that funny. The credits show 7 writers were needed for this?
National Anthem: Pamela Bell (Rudolph) butchers the National Anthem after winning an "Anthem Idol" contest. This could have been great had it been shorter, as Rudolph is really talented with this stuff, but the Anthem is just too long and it becomes more annoying than anything else. The reaction shots from Buck (Sudeikis) and McCarver (Hader) were pretty funny, though.
The Equerry: Laurie is an advance man for the Queen of England making preparations for her upcoming stay at Wiig's hotel. His requests get more and more outrageous. Wiig is great in these roles where she smiles awkwardly at absurd requests, and Laurie does a good job -- including another funny ad lib -- but the material just isn't there.
Hardball: Matthews (Hammond) interviews RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman (Samberg), who is perpetually optimistic no matter what Matthews throws at him, including the revelation that a junior Republican member of Congress is the "TCBY Strangler". Matthews shows a poll that says America wants Democrats to win the mid-term elections, and Mehlman notes that those people can only vote in their own elections, so it's meaningless. "Show me a poll that says Americans aren't planning to re-elect their own incumbent Senator or Congressman, the ones who actually represent them now, and then I'll start worrying." So, Matthews throws up a poll with that exact question verbatim, and the majority chooses "Not if he's a Republican". Hammond hasn't done much of anything funny in years, but I love the Hardball bit, and I thought this was really funny. "Why both bind and yoke?!?"
Protest Song: Laurie plays guitar and harmonica where he tells us how easy it is to solve the world's problems, but when he gets to the solution he mumbles the verse. It's a classic gag, and it runs a tad long, but Laurie really sells it, and it was great to see SNL step out of the box a bit. Again, I find myself wondering if this was all him.
Beck: Nausea: Beck is weird. While I recognize their great talent, I just don't like a lot of their songs. The marionettes were freakin' awesome, though, so
Weekend Update: Meh. Not terrible, but not really inspired either. Seth Meyers is like a bobble-head. Tim Calhoun (Forte) is back. I thought this bit was funny when he first did it, but it hasn't really progressed much, and he runs the jokes into the ground. The gay Jersey guys bit was mostly annoying. At the end, they lit up victory cigars. Tribute to Red Auerbach?
Hospital Mistrust: Dallas Rivers (Keenan) has a broken leg, but he refuses treatment, because he doesn't trust doctors. Laurie is his "wife". Keenan has been known to save a sketch through sheer force of will, but not this time.
Late Night Movie: The Curse of Frankenstein: An angry mob led by Laurie shows up at Frankenstein's (Hader) doorstep, but Frank is slick and well-spoken and tells them, "Frankenstein lives over there ... across the moor." The mob then arrives at Dracula's (Sudeikis) doorstep, who files his nails and nonchalantly tells them they've been misled. "Frankenstein lives back that way ... across the moor." I kinda liked it.
Beck: Clap Hands: Beck is weird. Freakin' awesome, though. The song is better, the marionettes are back, and percussion is provided by objects at a dinner table.
Ooooooo-eeeeeew: Steaming. Pile. Of. Shit.
It tailed off at the end, but I'd say it was the best episode of the season to date. Laurie was really strong as host, and Beck was the most creative musical guest in years. B-
das
Monologue: Embarrassing canned applause yet again. Where's Ashlee Simpson? Laurie runs through a list of positive imagery to indicate that he's not like the curmudgeonly misanthropic House: daffodils, morning dew, the yelp of a puppie freed from the microwave.
He's incredibly comfortable on stage, and at times I wonder if he didn't write the material himself. Not every joke works, but it's a really good start. Most Haunted: Obnoxious and clueless ghost hunters (Hader, Poehler, and Armisen) investigate a strange sound they hear in an old castle: passed gas from their leader Derek (Laurie). Between the beady night-vision eyes and goofy British accents, they almost sell this bit, which is just an extended fart joke.
TV Funhouse: Why is it that when these were funny they were burried deep within the show, but now they're right up front? Bush shows a new batch of Republican attack adds with a Halloween theme. Not that funny. The credits show 7 writers were needed for this?
National Anthem: Pamela Bell (Rudolph) butchers the National Anthem after winning an "Anthem Idol" contest. This could have been great had it been shorter, as Rudolph is really talented with this stuff, but the Anthem is just too long and it becomes more annoying than anything else. The reaction shots from Buck (Sudeikis) and McCarver (Hader) were pretty funny, though.
The Equerry: Laurie is an advance man for the Queen of England making preparations for her upcoming stay at Wiig's hotel. His requests get more and more outrageous. Wiig is great in these roles where she smiles awkwardly at absurd requests, and Laurie does a good job -- including another funny ad lib -- but the material just isn't there.
Hardball: Matthews (Hammond) interviews RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman (Samberg), who is perpetually optimistic no matter what Matthews throws at him, including the revelation that a junior Republican member of Congress is the "TCBY Strangler". Matthews shows a poll that says America wants Democrats to win the mid-term elections, and Mehlman notes that those people can only vote in their own elections, so it's meaningless. "Show me a poll that says Americans aren't planning to re-elect their own incumbent Senator or Congressman, the ones who actually represent them now, and then I'll start worrying." So, Matthews throws up a poll with that exact question verbatim, and the majority chooses "Not if he's a Republican". Hammond hasn't done much of anything funny in years, but I love the Hardball bit, and I thought this was really funny. "Why both bind and yoke?!?"
Protest Song: Laurie plays guitar and harmonica where he tells us how easy it is to solve the world's problems, but when he gets to the solution he mumbles the verse. It's a classic gag, and it runs a tad long, but Laurie really sells it, and it was great to see SNL step out of the box a bit. Again, I find myself wondering if this was all him.
Beck: Nausea: Beck is weird. While I recognize their great talent, I just don't like a lot of their songs. The marionettes were freakin' awesome, though, so
Weekend Update: Meh. Not terrible, but not really inspired either. Seth Meyers is like a bobble-head. Tim Calhoun (Forte) is back. I thought this bit was funny when he first did it, but it hasn't really progressed much, and he runs the jokes into the ground. The gay Jersey guys bit was mostly annoying. At the end, they lit up victory cigars. Tribute to Red Auerbach?
Hospital Mistrust: Dallas Rivers (Keenan) has a broken leg, but he refuses treatment, because he doesn't trust doctors. Laurie is his "wife". Keenan has been known to save a sketch through sheer force of will, but not this time.
Late Night Movie: The Curse of Frankenstein: An angry mob led by Laurie shows up at Frankenstein's (Hader) doorstep, but Frank is slick and well-spoken and tells them, "Frankenstein lives over there ... across the moor." The mob then arrives at Dracula's (Sudeikis) doorstep, who files his nails and nonchalantly tells them they've been misled. "Frankenstein lives back that way ... across the moor." I kinda liked it.
Beck: Clap Hands: Beck is weird. Freakin' awesome, though. The song is better, the marionettes are back, and percussion is provided by objects at a dinner table.
Ooooooo-eeeeeew: Steaming. Pile. Of. Shit.
It tailed off at the end, but I'd say it was the best episode of the season to date. Laurie was really strong as host, and Beck was the most creative musical guest in years. B-
das
10-29-06, 01:17 PM
#61
Suspended
I am intrigued to see if SNL can pull off two good shows in a row. Last week's was a surprisingly good effort, and let's see now if they can do it again.
Cold Open: Lorne Michaels open with an address about how the NBC budget cuts have forced him to sell the first five minutes of the show to a foreign government. Cue Borat (Sacha Baron Cohen) to do a bit and promote his new movie. Interesting way to start the show. Pop culture good, politics bad. Good lesson learned SNL.
Monologue: Ok, that was weird... the audience's initial applause sounded as if it was being piped into the studio. Long and a bit rambling, but again, seemed outside the box for SNL and so I enjoyed it.
Most Haunted: I guess this is a parody of a show I've never seen. And here I was, all ready to give them props for another sketch that at least visually was different from the usual fare, and what do we get? A fart joke. A five minute fart joke sketch. Jesus.
Saturday TV Funhouse: Pretty weak, except I did chuckle a bit at the total ridiculous of the last political ad.
World Series National Anthem: So is this a parody of something that actually happened or just a stab at the ridiculousness of most people who sing the national anthem? Jesus that fart joke sketch really, REALLY pissed me off, and it continues to through this sketch.
November 11th: Alec Baldwin hosts. Yay!
The Queen Visits New York: There are ridiculous requests for the Queen's upcoming visit. The fart joke sketch really pissed me off.
(At this point I've essentially taken a break from the recap, to try and see if I can start fresh and ignore the fart joke sketch. It made me lose the will to laugh.)
Hardball: Okay I'm back. Since this sketch would usually appear in the cold open, I'm going to pretend that the show has started again. The premise here is that the Republicans are self-destructing because of numerous scandals and also denying it. Howard Dean wanting to fight people was briefly amusing. No Zell Miller? WTF is the point of this sketch then?
Hugh Laurie Sings: Hmmm, this was unexpected. He sings a protest song, just without a clear answer to the questions his song is asking.
Beck performs: 1) Beck is a scientologist so therefore he's an idiot. B) Why are there puppets performing half of this song?
Weekend Update: Seth's joke about London being the new financial capital of the world was good. Will Forte returns as Tim Calhoun, which I enjoy. Armisen and Hader, as a same sex couple from Jersey, were good as well. Those three things, and Seth's last two semi-decent jokes saved the otherwise lackluster segment.
Mr. Rivers' Broken Leg: I'm guessing someone on the writing staff was in an ER recently and overheard something similar to this, which then degenerates into a commercial for House / public service announcement.
The Curse of Frankenstein: Angry townspeople are fooled by Frankenstein's monster into thinking they have the wrong house. Dracula then does the same thing to them.
Next Week: The Best of Darrell Hammond. It'll mark the first time a compilation for a performer will air while that performer is still in the cast.
Beck performs again: This time his band has a meal during the song, as do the puppets, doing some sort of Stomp thing. Are the puppets idiot scientologists too?
Job Interview: The interviewers make irritating "impressed" noises during the interview. This felt like a discarded Monty Python link.
At various times during the show it sounded as if there was construction going on elsewhere in the studio. Crashing and banging and other distracting sounds. Add to that the weird applause being piped in during the start of the monologue and some other technical gaffes here and there and this was one sloppy live production.
Laurie is a solid performer for this kind of show, however he was given awful material.
I'm giving this show credit for doing a lot of things differently in terms of structure, ie not opening with Bush, a song by Hugh Laurie, etc. But overall it just wasn't funny. And funny is kinda what I tune in for when I watch a comedy show.
And good lord, a five minute fart joke sketch?! Want to improve this show in reruns? Air that one at 12:55 instead of your showcase slot right after the monologue.
Cold Open: Lorne Michaels open with an address about how the NBC budget cuts have forced him to sell the first five minutes of the show to a foreign government. Cue Borat (Sacha Baron Cohen) to do a bit and promote his new movie. Interesting way to start the show. Pop culture good, politics bad. Good lesson learned SNL.
Monologue: Ok, that was weird... the audience's initial applause sounded as if it was being piped into the studio. Long and a bit rambling, but again, seemed outside the box for SNL and so I enjoyed it.
Most Haunted: I guess this is a parody of a show I've never seen. And here I was, all ready to give them props for another sketch that at least visually was different from the usual fare, and what do we get? A fart joke. A five minute fart joke sketch. Jesus.
Saturday TV Funhouse: Pretty weak, except I did chuckle a bit at the total ridiculous of the last political ad.
World Series National Anthem: So is this a parody of something that actually happened or just a stab at the ridiculousness of most people who sing the national anthem? Jesus that fart joke sketch really, REALLY pissed me off, and it continues to through this sketch.
November 11th: Alec Baldwin hosts. Yay!
The Queen Visits New York: There are ridiculous requests for the Queen's upcoming visit. The fart joke sketch really pissed me off.
(At this point I've essentially taken a break from the recap, to try and see if I can start fresh and ignore the fart joke sketch. It made me lose the will to laugh.)
Hardball: Okay I'm back. Since this sketch would usually appear in the cold open, I'm going to pretend that the show has started again. The premise here is that the Republicans are self-destructing because of numerous scandals and also denying it. Howard Dean wanting to fight people was briefly amusing. No Zell Miller? WTF is the point of this sketch then?
Hugh Laurie Sings: Hmmm, this was unexpected. He sings a protest song, just without a clear answer to the questions his song is asking.
Beck performs: 1) Beck is a scientologist so therefore he's an idiot. B) Why are there puppets performing half of this song?
Weekend Update: Seth's joke about London being the new financial capital of the world was good. Will Forte returns as Tim Calhoun, which I enjoy. Armisen and Hader, as a same sex couple from Jersey, were good as well. Those three things, and Seth's last two semi-decent jokes saved the otherwise lackluster segment.
Mr. Rivers' Broken Leg: I'm guessing someone on the writing staff was in an ER recently and overheard something similar to this, which then degenerates into a commercial for House / public service announcement.
The Curse of Frankenstein: Angry townspeople are fooled by Frankenstein's monster into thinking they have the wrong house. Dracula then does the same thing to them.
Next Week: The Best of Darrell Hammond. It'll mark the first time a compilation for a performer will air while that performer is still in the cast.
Beck performs again: This time his band has a meal during the song, as do the puppets, doing some sort of Stomp thing. Are the puppets idiot scientologists too?
Job Interview: The interviewers make irritating "impressed" noises during the interview. This felt like a discarded Monty Python link.
At various times during the show it sounded as if there was construction going on elsewhere in the studio. Crashing and banging and other distracting sounds. Add to that the weird applause being piped in during the start of the monologue and some other technical gaffes here and there and this was one sloppy live production.
Laurie is a solid performer for this kind of show, however he was given awful material.
I'm giving this show credit for doing a lot of things differently in terms of structure, ie not opening with Bush, a song by Hugh Laurie, etc. But overall it just wasn't funny. And funny is kinda what I tune in for when I watch a comedy show.
And good lord, a five minute fart joke sketch?! Want to improve this show in reruns? Air that one at 12:55 instead of your showcase slot right after the monologue.
10-29-06, 01:40 PM
#62
Suspended
Originally Posted by das Monkey
Beck: Nausea: Beck is weird. While I recognize their great talent, I just don't like a lot of their songs. The marionettes were freakin' awesome, though, so
10-29-06, 02:50 PM
#64
Moderator
Thread Starter
Here it goes:
I know most of you will disagree with me, but I liked it.
Cold Open
I like Borat, but everything in this skit (except the BJ thing and the old guy in the suit) I had heard or read before in previews for the movie (which doesn't interest me at all. But it was funny... Especially the "selling the kid to [your] Pop Star Madonna."
Monologue
"Sweetcheeks." What a wonderful term of endearment. I liked his opening.
Most Haunted
Simple, but brilliant. I loved it, even though it was obvious from the start.
TV Funhouse
Meh. I've never been a solid fan of TV Funhouse, but I did like the "Hillary Alien" clip.
National Anthem
I've got to agree with das on this one, Rudolph is good, but it was a little long.
The Equerry
I quite liked this one... despite the obvious cue card reading. That Queen is one twisted individual. I loved the room with mini furniture and the midget cops.
Hardball
I liked Jeff Richard's Howard Dean better than Sudekis'... and was this Hammond's only appearance tonight?
Protest Song
Pure brilliance. I loved it.
Beck: Nausea
Weekend Update
I heard Forte's bit with Calhoun, but fell asleep during the rest of it. I liked the Calhoun part (as usual) and was
during the "I have touched many pages..." double entendre.
Hospital Mistrust
What is with the "let's explain this sketch" twist at the end. It hasn't worked with any of them so far, and ruined this one for me. Although, I thought HL was great as the "wife."
Late Night Movie: The Curse of Frankenstein
I laughed the most at this sketch tonight. They made perfect choices to play Frank and Vlad. I really like Hader and Sudekis. I'm glad that Samberg was bridled tonight (he was only in one sketch).
Beck: Clap Hands
I really enjoyed this song. This is the Beck I remember from High School. Loved the puppets.
Ooooooo-eeeeeew
I didn't get it, but I laughed.
I'm gonna give this episode a solid B and name it the best ep so far this season. Laurie was a great host and the material was pretty good.I like Borat, but everything in this skit (except the BJ thing and the old guy in the suit) I had heard or read before in previews for the movie (which doesn't interest me at all. But it was funny... Especially the "selling the kid to [your] Pop Star Madonna."
Monologue
"Sweetcheeks." What a wonderful term of endearment. I liked his opening.
Most Haunted
Simple, but brilliant. I loved it, even though it was obvious from the start.
TV Funhouse
Meh. I've never been a solid fan of TV Funhouse, but I did like the "Hillary Alien" clip.
National Anthem
I've got to agree with das on this one, Rudolph is good, but it was a little long.
The Equerry
I quite liked this one... despite the obvious cue card reading. That Queen is one twisted individual. I loved the room with mini furniture and the midget cops.
Hardball
I liked Jeff Richard's Howard Dean better than Sudekis'... and was this Hammond's only appearance tonight?
Protest Song
Pure brilliance. I loved it.
Beck: Nausea
Weekend Update
I heard Forte's bit with Calhoun, but fell asleep during the rest of it. I liked the Calhoun part (as usual) and was
during the "I have touched many pages..." double entendre.Hospital Mistrust
What is with the "let's explain this sketch" twist at the end. It hasn't worked with any of them so far, and ruined this one for me. Although, I thought HL was great as the "wife."
Late Night Movie: The Curse of Frankenstein
I laughed the most at this sketch tonight. They made perfect choices to play Frank and Vlad. I really like Hader and Sudekis. I'm glad that Samberg was bridled tonight (he was only in one sketch).
Beck: Clap Hands
I really enjoyed this song. This is the Beck I remember from High School. Loved the puppets.
Ooooooo-eeeeeew
I didn't get it, but I laughed.
I know most of you will disagree with me, but I liked it.
10-29-06, 03:00 PM
#65
Originally Posted by lotsofdvds
Beck performs: 1) Beck is a scientologist so therefore he's an idiot. B) Why are there puppets performing half of this song?
Beck performs again: This time his band has a meal during the song, as do the puppets, doing some sort of Stomp thing. Are the puppets idiot scientologists too?
Beck performs again: This time his band has a meal during the song, as do the puppets, doing some sort of Stomp thing. Are the puppets idiot scientologists too?
As for this episode, it was much better than any of the others this season. But that isn't saying a whole lot. I laughed outloud a couple times and cringed many more. Every time Hammond is onscreen, the show grinds to a halt.
SNL has always been full of a one joke skits. So this really wasn't much worse than other episodes from other seasons ... even the best seasons. I like a good fart joke anyway and working it into Halloween was almost clever. The national anthem .... it was only funny because it was well done. But after a couple minutes, it became grating.
I really wanted a House parody ;-P
I give it a C-
10-29-06, 04:18 PM
#66
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I thought it was OK. The Laurie protest song, Beck and of course, my hero Borat were the highlights. Have other people changed the "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night" line before? This is the first time I can ever recall someone changing it...which was the most brilliant Borat moment IMO "Live from New York, home of the Jew, it's Saturday night!" HILARIOUS.
MATT
MATT
10-29-06, 05:04 PM
#67
DVD Talk Legend
Originally Posted by Goldberg74
Here it goes:
[INDENT]Cold Open
I like Borat, but everything in this skit (except the BJ thing and the old guy in the suit) I had heard or read before in previews for the movie (which doesn't interest me at all. But it was funny... Especially the "selling the kid to [your] Pop Star Madonna."
Most Haunted
Simple, but brilliant. I loved it, even though it was obvious from the start.
I'm gonna give this episode a solid B and name it the best ep so far this season. Laurie was a great host and the material was pretty good.
I know most of you will disagree with me, but I liked it.
[INDENT]Cold Open
I like Borat, but everything in this skit (except the BJ thing and the old guy in the suit) I had heard or read before in previews for the movie (which doesn't interest me at all. But it was funny... Especially the "selling the kid to [your] Pop Star Madonna."
Most Haunted
Simple, but brilliant. I loved it, even though it was obvious from the start.
I'm gonna give this episode a solid B and name it the best ep so far this season. Laurie was a great host and the material was pretty good.
I know most of you will disagree with me, but I liked it.
most haunted brilliant?
it was nothing but replaying a fart sound in different speeds.
not brilliant
10-29-06, 05:05 PM
#68
Suspended
Originally Posted by mdc3000
I thought it was OK. The Laurie protest song, Beck and of course, my hero Borat were the highlights. Have other people changed the "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night" line before? This is the first time I can ever recall someone changing it...which was the most brilliant Borat moment IMO "Live from New York, home of the Jew, it's Saturday night!" HILARIOUS.
MATT
MATT
10-29-06, 07:08 PM
#70
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Originally Posted by das Monkey
B-
das
das
B- ? Really? I thought the Studio 60 skits, sorry, sketches, were funnier than this episode.
I wish you taught a couple of my classes in law school.
10-29-06, 07:27 PM
#72
DVD Talk Hero
• Red Dog •
B- ? Really? I thought the Studio 60 skits, sorry, sketches, were funnier than this episode.
B- ? Really? I thought the Studio 60 skits, sorry, sketches, were funnier than this episode.
• Red Dog •
I wish you taught a couple of my classes in law school.
I wish you taught a couple of my classes in law school.
das
10-29-06, 09:17 PM
#73
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Well, Hugh Laurie is a master comedian, no doubt about that. It's a testament to his talent that he can play so convincingly straight as House. He gets an A- as host, and it would be higher if he had been given something better to do.
Whole show gets a borderline B-
Opening
Borat is the most obnoxious and annoying character to come along since PeeWee Herman. It almost made me miss the George Bush openers. If he does his whole SNL episode as Borat, I am so not watching. D-
Monologue
HL was funny letting everyone know what to expect from British humour. As his earlier career showed, he's a natural comedian. B+
Most Haunted
Started out interesting, but building the entire sketch on a fart joke was not a great idea. C-
TV Funhouse
Halloween themed political ads. Not too bad. B
World Series national anthem
Singers have been ghettofying the national anthem for years now, why does this deserve its own sketch? Answer: it doesn't. D-
Advance man
HL was excellent, spelling out the weird requirements for the queen. The best sketch of the night. A-
Hardball
All about the mid-term elections. No HL here at all. Not very funny. Sudekeis was death as McCain. C-
HL sings
Or 'House Music'. See what I did there? Interesting bit with him mumbling over the solutions to the world problems. Perfect comic timing on his part. B+
Weekend Update
Best joke was how London is the financial capital of the world and Seth Myers making a point of that to all terrorists. I also liked the Tickle Me Elmo gag, and the bit about how sleepwalkers demand sex and a snoring Amy Poehler starts sliding over to Myers. I would hit that asleep or awake. Armisen and Hader were decently funny as two NJ badabing guys in a gay relationship. The Tim Calhoun character was awful, as always. B+
Hospital
Thompson and HL as his wife made the sketch, although they obviously couldn't figure out a proper ending. No surprise there. B
Frankenstein vs. Dracula
Having fun by siccing the idiot villagers on each other. Pretty lame, and HL had really nothing to do here. C+
Job interview
SO stupid, but I laughed every time HL and Armisen did the "WOOOOOOO!" B-
Whole show gets a borderline B-
Opening
Borat is the most obnoxious and annoying character to come along since PeeWee Herman. It almost made me miss the George Bush openers. If he does his whole SNL episode as Borat, I am so not watching. D-
Monologue
HL was funny letting everyone know what to expect from British humour. As his earlier career showed, he's a natural comedian. B+
Most Haunted
Started out interesting, but building the entire sketch on a fart joke was not a great idea. C-
TV Funhouse
Halloween themed political ads. Not too bad. B
World Series national anthem
Singers have been ghettofying the national anthem for years now, why does this deserve its own sketch? Answer: it doesn't. D-
Advance man
HL was excellent, spelling out the weird requirements for the queen. The best sketch of the night. A-
Hardball
All about the mid-term elections. No HL here at all. Not very funny. Sudekeis was death as McCain. C-
HL sings
Or 'House Music'. See what I did there? Interesting bit with him mumbling over the solutions to the world problems. Perfect comic timing on his part. B+
Weekend Update
Best joke was how London is the financial capital of the world and Seth Myers making a point of that to all terrorists. I also liked the Tickle Me Elmo gag, and the bit about how sleepwalkers demand sex and a snoring Amy Poehler starts sliding over to Myers. I would hit that asleep or awake. Armisen and Hader were decently funny as two NJ badabing guys in a gay relationship. The Tim Calhoun character was awful, as always. B+
Hospital
Thompson and HL as his wife made the sketch, although they obviously couldn't figure out a proper ending. No surprise there. B
Frankenstein vs. Dracula
Having fun by siccing the idiot villagers on each other. Pretty lame, and HL had really nothing to do here. C+
Job interview
SO stupid, but I laughed every time HL and Armisen did the "WOOOOOOO!" B-
10-29-06, 09:19 PM
#74
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Join Date: Jul 2000
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Originally Posted by das Monkey
I assure you that you'd find arguing with me in person to be thrice as annoying than online.
das
das
10-29-06, 11:01 PM
#75
DVD Talk Legend
I thought it was a really good ep...with the Borat opening, HL's song bit, and just the tone of the show it had an old-school SNL feel to it. Promising.